The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-10-01
COMFORT IN SORROW.

There are times when we see more
fully than others, the supreme value of
our glorious and ever comforting faith.
When we survey all the various sys-
TENS of so-called orthodox religion, we
may say like Job to his comforters,
Miserable comforters are ye ALL"
They are utterly puerile to give COM
fort and consolation to the mourning
and heart-broken soul in its greatest
need. When the soul is reaching out
into the thick darkness for a ray of
light, and eagerly seeking something
on which to hang even slender hope !;
when the broken and bleeding heart
lies crushed beneath the terrible bur-
dens which for years have been accu-
mulating, then it is that we feel how
precious our beautiful faith is, in its
adaptation to comfort all that mourn.
And yet we are utterly forgetful of the
souls great need, until we are pros
trate before some terrible calamity.
Then like the Psalmist, we ''call upon
the Lord in our trouble" Only last
evening as l was perusing THE UNI
yERsALIsT, and the family were pre-
pairing to retire, the bell rang, and step
ing to the door, was requested to go
to neighboring residence to admins
ter comfort to family in deep distress.
One Of their number, young man less
than twenty years Of age, had been shot
down while in state of intoxication,
bullet having entered his brain, pro-
ducing unconsciousness, from which he
never for a moment recovered. He was
brought to the home of his parents, laid
upon a bed where his young life ebbed
away in three short hours after the
fatal shot.
The parents were without hope"
as they were members of the Meth
odist Episcopal Church. Their own
views of such cases, as taught by the
church and accepted by themselves,
could give them not one ray of hope.
The mother, whose tender solicitude
had prompted her to follow her dear
boy for years, said to me, "Stay at his
bedside, and if he is for moment con-
scious, ask him if he is forgiven of
God, if he has hope of heaven" Alas,
for the hope of the disconsolate mother,
that moment never came. When this
poor hope was cut off, she asked, "Will
not God save him for mothers pray
ers? 1 have prayed SO often for years
that God would save him! If only
could believe he would be saved in
heaven, could willingly give him upl"
l told her of the loving Saviour, who
died for all, and who came to "seek and
to save that which was lost" and of
the "great and precious promises"
which did, indeed, give her comfort for
time. Soon after this her own pastor
came, and taking her hands he tried to
comfort her. 1 listened to hear the
words of comfort, but they came not;
cold and comfortless he spake of the
future. The minister said, LET us
hope that he prayed and repented be-
fore he died" The mothers instinct
told her this could not be, as he could
not have had conscious moment from
the time the fatal shot was fired, until
the soul took its fight. So this frail
ground of hope fled at the moment COM
fort was most needed. And 1 could
not but think like Job, Miserable COM
forters are ye ALL" These broken heart
ed parents were asking for bread, and
the imam of God," with his comfortless
theology, could give them only "a stone;
asking for fish, and he gave them a
serpent"
o, how did pray, that the eyes of
his understanding might be opened, so
that these poor heart-broken parents
might be comforted. If they could &C.